Undercover Op
by elsiecarson
Summary: Harry is asked to go on an undercover op with Ruth by the Home Secretary and the DG. Despite the fact that Harry thinks it's a terrible idea he can't exactly object, so despite his terrible inner feeling on this one he goes along with it. Takes place after Ruth turns him down for a second date.
1. Chapter 1

Harry is shocked when the DG and the Home Secretary both request that he go undercover on this latest terrorist case. "Something is wrong at that country house Harry. You must find out what is going on. You and your "wife" will be expected at a house party at that country house starting Thursday."

Harry sighs heavily and runs his hand over his face. "You're expecting me to take a "wife: with me to a four day country party where we'll be expected to share a room? Who were you thinking for such a task?"

"Ruth Evershed, of course. You and she already have a connection. It will be easy." The Home Secretary says seriously.

"She's not a field agent! You can't ask her to do this!" Harry says angrily, desperately trying to avoid having to sleep next to Ruth for three nights after she turned him down.

"She's the only one who can fulfil the role. Everyone else in your unit is far too young to be plausible." The DG says firmly.

"All right, I'll head back to Thames House and get to work on getting this undercover operation organized. I better hope Ruth is in a good mood or I'm in big trouble." Harry finally concedes to his bosses.

"Oh, come on, Harry. We all know that you can get Ruth to do anything." The Home Secretary teases Harry.

"She may kill me for this one." Harry says with a heavy sigh. He leaves the office and is driven back to Thames House.

As he heads up to Section D he thinks about how he's going to tell Ruth about this undercover op. He runs his hand firmly over his face. "Ruth, join me in my office when you have a minute." Harry calls when he enters the section. He walks into his office and hangs his coat on the coat rack. Ruth is in his office before he even sits down.

"What's going on Harry?" Ruth asks as he sits down behind his desk.

"My meeting with the DG and the Home Secretary was interesting. They want me to be the undercover operative on a new operation at a country house in Cornwall. They believe, based on intelligence , that people in that house have links to British terrorism, so I have to go down there for a house party for four days beginning on Thursday." Harry explains to Ruth.

"Okay," Ruth says slowly. She's trying to process what Harry's said. "What does this have to do with me?"

"The DG, in his infinite wisdom, thinks I would be less conspicuous if I had a partner with me, a female partner. I don't even want to go." Harry pours himself a glass of whiskey.

"A female partner? I suppose the DG had me in mind." Ruth rolls her eyes.

"Yes, he did. He wants me to have a woman with me to play my wife. He thought you and I would make the most plausible couple."

Ruth rolls her eyes again. "I don't suppose we have a choice about this, do we?"

"Do we ever have a choice? I don't want to spend my weekend with all those pretentious people. This could be one big waste of time." Harry sounds frustrated.

"So, what's the plan?" Ruth sits down in a chair across from Harry.

"Well, we have to get our cover stories organized with Malcolm. We'll need wedding rings and you'll need a wardrobe. We're leaving on Thursday so I'll pick you up. Actually, I have a suggestion. We have to get used to being a married couple, so maybe we should stay together for a couple of days before we head down to the house party." Harry is trying to remain organized.

Ruth blushes at Harry's suggestion. "That's probably a good idea. We can start tonight."


	2. Update

"Should we go and update the team?"

"Yes, we better. There's a lot of work that needs to be done before we leave." Harry sighs tiredly. He pushes himself out of his chair and opens the door to his office. "Conference room in five minutes." Harry barks at his team.

"So, all the intelligence we've been looking at for the last few days has been linked to this country house?" Ruth asks as Harry comes back into his office.

"Well, all the terrorist groups we've linked the intelligence to have ties to that house." Harry picks up a file and says, "Come on, let's get this meeting over with."

"I'm sorry that you don't want to go undercover with me and you have to, Harry." Ruth says quietly as they walk to the conference room.

"It's not that, Ruth. I like spending time with you. I just don't like being forced into anything. I'm still in charge of this section." Harry grumbles. "Sit down everyone. After my meeting with the DG and the Home Secretary we now have an undercover operation that will begin on Thursday."

"Who's going on the undercover op?" Malcolm asks. He can see the vein in Harry's forehead pulsing with stress.

"Ruth and I are going. I need a cover story under the names Lady Sarah and Sir Thomas Malcolm. We'll need wedding rings. Ruth needs wardrobe. Malcolm, you handle the technology part, whatever you think we need. We'll be gone four days at a country house party with people who have links to our recent terrorism intelligence." Harry explains to the team.

"Are you both okay with this? This request seems rather sudden." Adam asks.

"Well, we don't actually have another option, so we'll be fine." Harry says firmly.

"Yeah, it's okay. We'll manage." Ruth says resolutely. She's nervous about this week.

"The next couple of days ought to be interesting then. What's your plan?" Adam asks seriously.

"You've heard our plans for work, but Ruth and I will also be staying together for the next couple of days so we get used to it." Harry says plainly. "Okay, everybody knows what they're doing. Let's get on with it."

The team knows Harry is dismissing them. To avoid his anger and frustration they quickly leave to get started on organizing the undercover operation.


	3. You'd Like It to Be Something More

Harry and Ruth remain sitting in the conference room. "Are you sure you want to do this, Ruth? You can still pull out if this is going to be very uncomfortable for you."

"I'm fine. This is going to be slightly odd, but how I really feel about you is going to make this much easier. Are you okay? This isn't going to be awkward for you, is it?" Ruth asks seriously.

"I'm fine. No, it won't be awkward. I will just have to keep reminding myself that it's not real. That it's just an undercover op and nothing more."

"You'd like it to be something more though, wouldn't you, Harry?"

"You know I would. There's been no one in my thoughts and dreams but you. Even after you turned down my second dinner invitation I knew there wouldn't be anyone in my life but you. I can imagine how this week is going to go. I can also imagine how difficult it is going to be laying next to you in bed every night for the next week."

"You don't think I feel the same way? Harry, just because I turned you down for a second date doesn't mean I don't care about you or even love you." Ruth moves her chair closer to Harry.

"Ruth, do you think, after this operation is over, we can re-evaluate our relationship? If this goes well and we don't try and kill each other I mean."

"That seems like a reasonable request. I'm braver than I was when we went on our first date. If this goes well this well I think we'll be in a much better place." Ruth squeezes Harry's hand.

Harry breathes a sigh of relief when Ruth speaks. "Thank you, Ruth. That means a lot to me. We'll sort out our living arrangements, for the next couple of days, later. I don't the next couple of days to be awkward between us. I don't want whoever is staying at the other person's house to feel like they're intruding."

"I think we should stay at your place, Harry. You'd feel uncomfortable with Beth at the flat. Having a "couple" staying a flat in the first place is suspicious, let along staying with a roommate. You won't relax at all."

"Fair point, Ruth. I'll drive you back to your flat tonight so you can pick up the things you want."

"Thank you, Harry. I don't mind taking the bus most of the time, but it can be impractical."

"Well, my new "wife" never has to take the bus again." Harry kisses Ruth's cheek.

"Harry, do you and Ruth want to come and look at some of the technology I want you to take with you?" Malcolm asks through the door of the conference room.

"Yeah, we'll be right there, Malcolm." Harry looks at Ruth tiredly and sighs. He pushes his chair back and stands up. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah, we better go before Malcolm comes up with some kind of crazy piece of technology that neither of us can work." Ruth teases about Malcolm's technological genius.


	4. Tech Talk

Harry and Ruth walk down the hall to where Malcolm is waiting for them. "Okay, Malcolm, what have you got for us?"

"I've got a button cam for you, Harry."

"It looks exactly like a real button."

"That's the point. If you bring me a dress shirt tomorrow I'll stitch it on for you. Do you have a tuxedo?" Malcolm asks as he sets the button cam down.

"Yeah, I have a tuxedo. Why do you think I need one for this weekend?" Harry asks leaning over the table.

"The DG sent the invitation to us and all the dinners are black tie."

"Christ, I don't know if my tuxedo still fits. I haven't worn it for a while."

"You'll have to try it on when we get home." Ruth says teasingly.

"Oh Harry, it's great. She's already got the nagging wife part down perfectly. You'll be fine this weekend."

"Malcolm. I've just thought of something. Ruth is going to need an engagement ring as well." Harry runs his hand over his chin.

"I'll get on it. I have your wedding rings for you. They have locator beacons in them so don't take them off. They're also engraved on the inside." Malcolm passes Harry the two rings.

Harry puts his reading glasses on and reads the inscription, "I'll love you always and forever."

"Oh Malcolm, that's very sweet inscription." Ruth smiles broadly at her friend.

"Shall we exchange rings, Ruth?" Harry suggests.

"That's a perfectly romantic idea Harry." Ruth picks up the larger of the two wedding bands. "I, Ruth Elizabeth Evershed, give you this ring as a symbol of my love and with all that I am and all that I have I honour you." Ruth pushes the ring onto his finger and smiles up at him.

"I, Henry Edward Pearce, with free and unconstrained soul, give you all I am and all I am to become. Take this ring and with it my promise of faith, patience, and love for the rest of my life." Harry says gently. He carefully slides the thin, gold wedding band onto her finger.

"That's very sweet Harry. I think I'll ask Beth to go down to wardrobe to help me pick out some outfits for this weekend. If you need a tuxedo I need some evening gowns and cocktail dresses."

"Right, love, don't pick too many things. If I remember rightly a lot of those dresses are heavy and delicate, so for heaven's sake, don't fold them. They'll never be the same." Harry kisses Ruth's cheek.

"How do I get them up here in one piece then, smarty pants?"

"I'll come down and pick them up for you and take them out to the car."

"Thanks Harry. I shouldn't be long down there." Ruth kisses Harry's cheek.

"Wait, Ruth, there's one more piece of technology I should show you. They're for you. We've got these audio microphone hair pins for when you do your hair up for your fancy parties."

"That's brilliant Malcolm. All the regular tech is coming too, right?"

"Of course it is. I wouldn't let you go on an undercover op without all the proper equipment.

"Right, I'll be back soon." Ruth again kisses Harry's cheek and leaves the room.


	5. Wardrobe Choices

"Beth, come on. I need some help with my wardrobe for this weekend."

Harry watches Ruth go. "Christ Malcolm, I don't know if I can do this. I want this to be real so much. I want her so much and she doesn't even realize it." Harry breathes heavily and puts his hands on his hips.

"She realizes it. She's teasing you. She's flirting with you. She has very strong feelings for you. She always has."

Ruth lets out a deep breath as she and Beth head down to the wardrobe room. "I don't know how I'm going to handle this weekend. He knows exactly what he's doing. All he has to do is lower his voice, and smile, which makes his eyes sparkle and I'm lose." Ruth groans and runs her hands over her face.

"God, you two are impossible. Why don't you two just confess your feelings to each other and fall into bed already? The two of you are lost souls without each other." Beth complains to Ruth.

"We are going to be falling into bed together, just not like that, unfortunately." Ruth grumbles. She can only hope with a little bit of work she can make this weekend successful.

"Oh god, too much information, Ruth! I have visuals in my head I never wanted and I will never be able to get out of my head!"

Ruth ignores the comment and uses her keys to open the door to the wardrobe room and turns the light on. "My God, there's so much clothing in here. Where do we even start?"

"Let's start with the evening gowns and then do the cocktail dresses. Look, there's even an empty rack to put the dresses on." Beth pulls a clothes rack with her. She wanders down the rack with the long dresses and pulls a few that she likes. "Any colours you don't want, Ruth?"

"Nothing really bright, okay? I don't ever wear bright colours, so I won't be comfortable." Ruth goes through the rack much more methodically than Beth does. She looks at the dark coloured dresses and the pastel dresses. She avoids the neon, bright dresses. She finds a deep red dress she likes and pulls it to show Beth. "What do you think?"

"Oh, it's really pretty. That will look fabulous on you. Did you check the size?" Beth sighs in awe when she sees the dress.

"Yeah, I did. It'll fit." Ruth hangs the dress on the clothes rack.

"How about this one?" Beth shows Ruth a teal evening gown.

"That's gorgeous. Harry always says he likes me in blue best." Ruth smiles at Beth.

"Well, we should have as many blue dresses in your wardrobe as possible then. He always watches you more when you wear blue."

"Maybe this weekend will make us take the next step. Wearing blue may be a push in the right direction. Harry flirts more when I wear blue." Ruth blushes when she admits this.

"I never realized Harry flirted." Beth says casually. Ruth glares at her and Beth says, "Alright, so I noticed! I just didn't think he was that overt. He's quite subtle for a man. Only the women really notice."

"Really? How many people do you think don't know about us?" Ruth asks casually even though she's really curious.

"Everyone knows about you. Us girls make a comment about you every once in a while which inevitably leads to the guys asking what the hell we're talking about. Every time a new person comes onto the Grid they either already know the story because they come from our world or they're told quite quickly. No one is out of the loop for long." Beth says honestly.

"Oh God, do not tell Harry that. He'll be so mortified." Ruth says firmly. She pulls a peach gown she likes, but she's unsure about the colour.

"That's lovely Ruth. It's very delicate and feminine. It's a different look for you." Beth is being very encouraging.

Ruth puts the dress on the rack and then looks at the dresses Beth has picked. Beth tends to be more bold than Ruth is. She immediately puts two of them back.

"What's wrong with those?" Beth asks indignantly.

"They're too low cut and risqué for a woman who's meant to be married. Also, this is a house party. The guests, from the list I saw, are mostly likely to be conservative, capital and small c, conservative."

"Right, I forgot about that. How about this dress, then? I was thinking it's too safe, but the colour is fabulous. Harry will like it. The dress is vibrant, like you." Beth shows Ruth a deep purple dress.

"I love it. We have three vibrant dresses, a gentle, sweet dress, plus a more daring black dress. Now, we need cocktail dresses, since I don't know if I need long or short dresses for this weekend. Nothing too short and nothing too tight, all right?"

"Okay, same colour parameters as the evening gowns?" Beth asks as she begins to sort through cocktail dresses. She knows she's more likely to pick black cocktail dresses than any other colour. All the clothes down here are gorgeous. "I don't know how we're going to pick from these dresses. They're all beautiful."

"This emerald green dress is fabulous. It's not too tight at the bottom and it's elegant." Ruth pulls a dress to show Beth.

"Ooh, good find! That's really pretty and different. The colour is a different pick for you. It's got sparkly accents too that are nice."

"Is it too plain though?" Ruth asks as she looks at the dress again.

"No, not for the crowd you'll be with this weekend." Beth says seriously.

Ruth and Beth quickly find some more dresses for Ruth to wear and then Ruth texts Harry after they put the dresses in dress bags. She wants him to take the dresses out to his car.


	6. Curiosity and Cover Stories

"All finished then? Do I get to see what you picked?" Harry asks as he spots the rack of dresses.

"Not now. I've just got them all in the dress bags. If you're very good I'll try them on for you later." Ruth teases Harry.

"That's cruel. Don't I even get a hint?" Harry asks as he stuffs his hands in his pockets.

"No, you don't. Take these out to the care for and I'll make dinner." Ruth says teasingly. She kisses his cheek as he begins to pulls the clothes rack out of the room.

"I'll bring this back in a few minutes. Do you want to go to lunch, Ruth?" Harry turns to face the woman with whom he will be sharing his entire life for the next few days.

"That would be nice. I'll wait here for you."

"I won't be long."

"You do realize you're torturing a man who adores you, don't you?" Beth asks seriously.

"I'm just playing the role I'm going to have to play for the weekend."

"Yeah, but the role you're playing right now is exactly the role Harry would like you to play in real life. This isn't a game or just an op to him. This situation is his dream. You can see it on his face. When you kissed him on the cheek he practically melted. You can't torture him like this."

"I will tell you this in strictest confidence. I wish this wasn't a role to play. I wish this was real. That we could tease, the way we have been today, all the time without it being awkward. That's my goal by the end of this weekend. I am done pretending that I don't love him. This situation has become ridiculous."

"Good, listen, I'm going to get back to work. You and Harry enjoy lunch." Beth hugs her friend.

Ruth wanders through the wardrobe room running her fingers over the fabrics. This isn't the kind of life she'd want where she has to wear evening gowns on weekends instead of chunky sweaters and jeans, but it's fun sometimes.

"We should find you some jewels for this weekend." Harry says when he re-enters the room. He has his hands in his pockets.

"I didn't think we had access to such things." Ruth says quietly as she turns to face Harry.

"That's just because you don't know where to look down here. A lady of the realm should look rich."

"A lady of the realm? Is that part of my legend?" Ruth asks watching Harry.

"Yes, it is. We wouldn't be going this weekend if one of the two of our legends didn't have a title. I thought I'd make you the titled one since titles mean little to me and I already have one."

"What is my title for?" Ruth asks curiously as Harry approaches her.

"Volunteer work with underprivileged kids in London. I thought it was fitting for you. Do you want to know where the jewellery is in here?"

Ruth nods. Harry has such a powerful presence. She follows him as he walks across the room to a large wardrobe. He opens the doors to reveal a huge safe. He inputs the combination and opens the safe to reveal boxes of jewels. "I don't even know where to start." Ruth whispers.

"Take a look at all the jewellery and see what will match and what you like. This is your chance to be over the top. I'll put the ones that you like in my office safe before we go to lunch."

Ruth picks four sets of jewellery which include necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. She picks two understated sets, a set with emeralds, and a set with rubies. "I never knew we had any of this." Ruth says as she stacks the boxes and closes the safe. "All right, I'm finished. Let's go for lunch."

"Okay, let's just take this jewellery up to my safe and then we can go for lunch."


	7. A Vote of Confidence

Harry and Ruth leave the room and walk towards the pods. Harry rests his hand on Ruth's lower back. They're both very quiet in the pods on the way back to Section D. Harry's unsure about his actions towards Ruth. He knows how they're supposed to be acting, but he doesn't want to push too far or make her uncomfortable.

Ruth notices how awkward Harry obviously feels. She reaches out and holds his hand as the pod stop at Section D. She doesn't stop holding his hand as they walk towards Harry's office with the jewels.

Harry can't help but smile at the fact that Ruth is holding his hand. Her hand is warm and small and he feels very protective of her. He walks into his office, opens his safe, put the jewellery in the safe and closes it tightly. He knows Ruth is watching him from the doorway. When he turns to face her she has her coat and purse in her hands. "Ready to go?" Harry asks as he grabs his overcoat and leather gloves.

Ruth nods and slips her hand into the crook of Harry's arm. They walk out of Harry's office and he says, "We're going to lunch. We'll be back soon. Don't interrupt me for anything less than a red flash."

"No problem Harry. Have a good time." Beth teases Harry and Ruth.

"They're impossible. Don't they ever give up?" Harry grumbles. He hates being the centre of attention.

"No, they don't. They probably think it's funny. They delight in teasing us. You know that. They think we're silly to be this reticent when we obviously care for each other. Where are we going for lunch?"

"I don't know. We could go for Italian, pun food, or French around here." Harry thinks carefully.

"Oh, let's go for Italian. We can have comfort food and nice red wine since we're walking." Ruth suggests.

"That sounds perfect, especially since out colleagues are being so rude. We can stay out for lunch as long as we want if they're going to be like that." Harry says firmly. He and Ruth leave Thames House and walk down the main street a block and then down a side street. "This Italian restaurant is one of my favourites. It has amazing traditional food."

"This is really cute Harry." Ruth says as harry opens the door to the restaurant for her.

"It's quiet and calm in our world of chaos." Harry explains to Ruth. "A table for two, please."

"Of course sir. Please follow me." The maitre d' escorts the pair to a table near the window. "What can I get you to drink?"

"We'll have a bottle of your best merlot, please." Harry says confidently.

"Harry, we have to go back to work after this. A bottle of wine is a lot for us to drink before we head back to work." Ruth questions Harry.

"Oh, we're allowed to splurge, especially after the morning we've both had. We can both handle our liquor quite well." Harry reminds Ruth.

"Are we really going to be okay this weekend? Do you think we can pull this off?"

"We're going to be fine. We'll more than pull this off. We'll be superb. Just relax. I bet the room will be superb as well as the alcohol. The bed will be big and plush. The bathroom will be luxurious and the food will be out of this world. We should just try and enjoy." Harry reaches across the table and squeezes Ruth's hand.

"That could be easier said than done. I don't relax very easily."

"I understand that. It's not easy to relax in this career. Just pack some bubble bath and just try and relax. We're just observing this weekend. It's a great opportunity to catch up on our sleep. We need to learn to appreciate the opportunities we get." Harry watches Ruth as she tries to talk and read the menu at the same time.

"Are you ready to order?" Their waitress, Claire, asks pausing next to their table.

Ruth blushes as she realizes she hasn't made a lot of effort to read the menu. "I'm going to need a moment please."

"Of course madam." Claire smiles at the couple and leaves them to decide on their meal.

"Oh my God, I haven't done that for years." Ruth hisses at Harry.

"I haven't done that since the last time I had a meal with you." Harry admits to Ruth.

"Well, we better decide on a meal." Ruth says turning her attention back to the menu. She quickly decides and closes the menu and sets it aside and Harry does the same.

"All right, are you ready to order?" Clair comes back over.

"I'll have the minestrone soup to start and the pasta alla carbonara." Ruth requests.

"I'll have zuppa fagioli soup to start and the linguine with smoke salmon and olives."

"Oh, I am not kissing you if you're having smoked salmon and olives." Ruth cringes.

"I'll switch that to chicken parmesan with spaghetti and tomato sauce. I'll still have the soup to start." He certainly doesn't want to make things more awkward between he and Ruth by eating something she can't stand the smell of. "So…" Harry says trying to start a more personal conversation.

"So… what, Harry? Is there something you really need to say or are you just trying to fill the silence?"

"I don't know, honestly, but don't you think we should talk? Our whole lives are about to change. Ruth, you've never even lived with someone before. What do I say to Catherine if she shows up unexpectedly? All the things I said I wasn't worried about? I lied. I am worried about all of them."

"I don't know either, but don't you think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves? We're speculating about something we know nothing about yet. Odds are we'll be just fine. We just have to take this step by step. What's worrying you the most?"

"Getting used to sleeping next to you every night for the next week and then not being able to for the rest of my life."

"Harry, that may be the sweetest thing you have ever said to me. Remember I said we would take this one step at a time? I meant after this op is over too. Neither of us want this to end, so let's just see how we go. You might find you don't like living with me."

"Nonsense, that's not very likely to happen. I'm sure you're an excellent roommate. You're right though. Let's just take this a step at a time and see where we are after the op. Are you nervous? You've never really been in the field and you've never done undercover work."

"I think I'll be okay. I can learn from the best while I'm in the field. Are we going to have back-up close by in case everything goes tits up?"

"Malcolm is going to be nearby in case we have any tech issues and Adam is going the be close with CO-19 a five-minute drive away. We're perfectly safe. I don't want you to be armed, but I will be. There's really nothing to worry about. This is really not a dangerous op. It's recon more than anything else. We're not meant to be going in all guns blazing per say. The DG would probably have my balls considering who the host is." Harry watches Ruth breathe a deep sigh of relief. "You are nervous, aren't you?"

"Yes, of course I am. I think I would be insane if I wasn't nervous. I'm not a field agent. This is not what I was ever meant to be doing."

"You'll be brilliant, Ruth. I trust in you."

"You have more faith in me than I have in myself. I don't want to be the reason this op is blown."

"We'll be fine. We just have to trust each other."

"It's not that I don't trust you, Harry. I always have trusted you. It's me I don't trust."

"But I trust you and that's all you need to know. It's natural to be nervous, but you must learn to cover it before we go down to the country house. I need you to be calm by then."

"I think I can manage that. Thank you for your trust, Harry. It means the world right now. To have your trust is better than any self-esteem boost I could find."


End file.
